14-02-2025
Maryam Hamka's boyfriend claimed she died of an overdose. He's now been jailed for 28 years for her murder
Murderer Toby Loughnane has been jailed for 28 years for killing his girlfriend and then dumping her body in Victorian bushland.
The 45-year-old looked up and nodded as he was sentenced in the supreme court in Melbourne on Friday, as Maryam Hamka's family watched on.
Loughnane had claimed the 37-year-old died of a drug overdose in the early hours of 11 April 2021, and his only crime was not calling an ambulance.
But the jury rejected that theory, instead accepting the prosecution's case that Loughnane fatally assaulted Hamka with murderous intent.
He then dumped her body in a shallow grave at Cape Schanck, in the Mornington Peninsula, before leading investigators to her remains in August 2023.
Justice Christopher Beale described the murder as appalling as he sentenced Loughnane to 28 years behind bars.
He could be eligible for parole after 20 years.
Beale said the murder happened in the context of protracted family violence, which was an aggravating feature.
'The fatal violence you inflicted on her was not an isolated incident,' he said on Friday.
But Loughnane should receive some discount on sentence because he revealed the location of Hamka's body to police, Beale said.
Hamka's family and friends watched from the public gallery as the sentence was handed down on Friday morning.
Her brother, Ayman Hamka, had called for 'justice to be served' even though he acknowledged no sentence would ever bring his sister back.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 988 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via
